Fishermen rally against regulations in Washington, D.C.

Terry Weber

Friday

Feb 26, 2010 at 12:01 AMFeb 26, 2010 at 10:49 AM

New England’s fishing activists headed to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to participate in the United We Fish rally. Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk, state Sen. Bruce Tarr, state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante and local fishermen met with legislators hoping to convince lawmakers to modify the Magnuson Stevens Act.

New England’s fishing activists headed to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to participate in the United We Fish rally.

Armed with their reasons why the regulations placed on the fishing industry should be re-examined, the Gloucester activists packed their day with meetings, and delivered their message to the open ears of Washington lawmakers.

Despite the cold temps and constant threat of rain and snow, a crowd estimated at 5,000 people attended the protest. “I was impressed with the rally,” said Jack Flaherty, a Gloucester fisherman who drove to D.C. with friends. “The biggest crowd was probably from Florida but I met people from as far away as Alaska and also ran into several Gloucester folks. It was a good turnout.”

Among the speakers at the rally were Kirk, Tarr, Congressman Barney Frank, and Sen. Scott Brown. In the crowd, recreational and commercial fishermen stood together and maintained an orderly atmosphere. There were no reports of any unruly attendees and no arrests.

Although the primary focus of the rally was about modifying the Magnuson Stevens Act, many attendees held signs stating that Jane Lubchenco, administrator for NOAA, should step down.

NOAA regulates the fishing industry and directs its law enforcement. The fishing industry has criticized NOAA for years about abusive treatment and fines against New England fishermen. A recent government report by Todd Zinser, the Commerce Department’s inspector general, confirmed the fishermen’s complaints.

Congressmen ask for halt to all fishing prosecutions

On Tuesday, the day before the United We Fish protest, Sen. John Kerry and Reps. Barney Frank, John Tierney and William Delahunt, all of Massachusetts, sent a letter to Lubchenco urging her to delay prosecutions of fishermen working in the Northeast. After reviewing the investigative report from the Inspector General about alleged inappropriate law enforcement practices, Kerry argued that the prosecutions, stemming from NOAA enforcement actions last month, should be postponed until further investigation is completed.

“Our hardworking fishermen work their hearts out in tough jobs to support their families,” Kerry said in the letter. “They deserve the benefit of the doubt just like every American does. The least we can do is take a deep breath and wait until the Office of the Inspector General can clear up any and all discrepancies in penalties, fines and enforcement procedures. We’re simply asking that the office (NOAA) put a hold on these cases until we can determine exactly what went wrong.”

Cape Ann Beacon

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